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First Proboscis Monkey in Semporna

River cruise has become an increasingly popular way of exploring and appreciating a fascinating aspect of the beauty of Sabah nature, especially the wildlife in the biodiversity-rich mangrove ecosystems. If the idea of cruising along a meandering river and catching glimpses of Proboscis Monkeys, crocodiles, giant fruit bats, scores of fireflies and other creatures sounds exciting to you, then you should not miss the maiden Borneo Semporna Proboscis River Cruise, Only in Semporna.

The main attraction is the proboscis monkey is found only on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It prefers to live in the mixed diterocarp-kerangas forests, mangrove forests and lowland forests near fresh water and rivers. Proboscis Monkey lives almost exclusively in mangrove forests, but can also be found in lowland rainforests. It depends on the mangroves near river edges for resting and sleeping. They avoid deforested areas and avoid human settlements.

This unique monkey belongs to the Asian Langurs they are the only member of the Nasalis genus. The proboscis monkey gets its name from its large, fleshy nose also knows as Monkey Belanda. Both males and females have the large noses. Female noses are not as large, although larger than most monkeys, and juveniles have small upturned noses. The males are so large that they hang down over their mouths; their noses swell and turn red when they become excited or angry. They also make loud honking sounds as a warning when they sense danger or attract female’s proboscis, which make their noses stand out straight.

River cruise in Semporna start at late afternoon around 3.30pm for a 25-minute ride to the Borneo Semporna Proboscis River Cruise Centre in Kampung Tunggulangan. On arrival, a walk along a 150-meters wooden bridge will lead to the centre where visitors can watch and feed the long-tailed macaques with guavas and bread. For bird watching and you can expect to sight horn bills, kingfishers and other species. While enjoy a hi-tea of traditional Malay snacks and drinks while appreciating pristine rainforest ambience and fresh air in river cruise jetty restaurant.

The river cruise centre boat will leave the centre for the hour-long cruise along Sungai Buaya and Sungai Pegagau. It is a great way to experience nature’s sight and sound in the tranquil living environment of a diversity of riverine wildlife, especially Proboscis Monkeys, Long Tail Macaque, Pig Tail Macaque, Giant Fruit Bats, Crocodiles and birds. By late evening, enjoy the magical sight of fireflies lighting up and decorating the mangroves